How Dante Moore and Richard Young would stack up against best QB/RB pairings in Oregon history
The Ducks hosted a 5-star running back and a 5-star quarterback this last weekend, which got us thinking about some of the best duos in UO history.
Those following along Oregon’s recruiting efforts know last weekend was massive for Dan Lanning and his new staff. The Ducks had multiple 5-star athletes on campus, and brought in some big guns like Marcus Mariota to try and sweeten the experience.
The two most notable recruits were 5-star Martin Luther King (Detroit, Mich.) quarterback Dante Moore and 5-star Lehigh (Lehigh Acres, FL.) running back Richard Young, who apparently got along swimmingly.
Moore is key for the Ducks. Oregon’s circled around several top QB’s in the 2023 class but hasn’t closed in, as players like Nico Iamaleava (Tennessee), Dylan Raiola (Ohio State) and Jaden Rashada (Miami) landed elsewhere.
On3.com reported Rashada, the No. 7 QB in the 2023 class, signed a $9.5 million NIL deal to play for Mario Cristobal’s Hurricanes, though Miami booster John Ruiz told the Miami Herald the figure was “grossly inaccurate.”
Regardless: It’s a hot market for quarterbacks and the list of really good ones in this class is beginning to thin. But with 247Sports and On3 both learning towards a Moore/Oregon union, we’ll allow it if fans want to start day dreaming about a Moore/Young one-two punch running Oregon’s future offense.
Moore, the No. 12 player in his class, would be the top-rated quarterback to commit to Oregon in program history. Young, the No. 24 player in 2023, would be Oregon’s highest-rated running back since 5-star Thomas Tyner signed in 2013.
New Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham wants an explosive offense that can take shots. Those two would be pillars, with the talent on paper to stack against some of the best combos in Oregon history.
That history? Here’s The I-5 Corridor’s rankings of the best Oregon QB/RB combos:
Honorable mention:
2001 Joey Harrington and Maurice Morris
Harrington: 2,764 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, 6 interceptions; 56 rushing yards, 7 touchdowns
Morris: 1,049 rushing yards, 9 touchdowns; 12 receptions, 99 receiving yards
Team success: 11-1, Fiesta Bowl champions, postseason No. 2
Why they’re here: Oregon has been one of the most successful college football programs of this century and it started with this pair in Mike Bellotti’s offense. Harrington’s place in Oregon history is set: He’s one of the most succesful and popular quarterbacks to ever play at Autzen. And he was certainly helped by Morris, who rushed for 2,237 yards in two seasons with the Ducks and had a penchant for rattling off long touchdown runs — such as this 49-yard stunner in Oregon’s Fiesta Bowl win over Colorado.
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